Posted 2018-08-23 11:03 PM (#545040) Subject: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:February 2014Posts: 408

Location: moline,illinois

Hey guys I'm venturing into the world of learning about repairing Ovation/adamas guitars,a friend of mine who owns a music store and is a luthier is offering classes on guitar repair and we started my first project tonight.
I recently accquired an adamas 1588-7 and the action on it is high and you can see the neck dives down as it crosses the body,we took the neck off tonight and it looks like someone else tried to do a neck reset but got the geometry wrong,I took in my adamas 1688-2 that had been reset at the mothership along with the 1588-7 so I could show Matt(my friend who runs the store) a sample of what the proper setup of an adamas I was and I explained to him the floating fretboard setup you can see on the 1688-2 where there is a small lift on the fretboard extension as it crosses the body helping to keep the neck angle correct as it goes toward the bridge.
Has anyone created the floating fretboard effect when resetting a neck and what material did you use,it looks like epoxy on my 1688-2 but to do it properly do you build it up on the body?build up under the fretboard extension? or do you think they had some kind of jig/mold they used at the mothership when they put the necks on to create the proper thickness and shape of the resin under the fretboard extension.

Posted 2018-08-26 10:09 AM (#545060 - in reply to #545057) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:May 2008Posts: 1318

Location: Gnashville

My Adamas II is fairly early... 83. The extension is not attached/glued to the top at all. Truly floating. For many years, I played winters in Colorado and the rest of the year beach side. Each time I returned to the humidity, the tip of the extension would curl down and vibrate against the top so I used a thin strip of felt there. When I got back to the thin air in the mountains, it would straighten out again. Could be why the mother ship eventually started attaching them? Anyway, not an answer. Just an observation.

Posted 2018-08-26 3:55 PM (#545064 - in reply to #545040) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:February 2014Posts: 408

Location: moline,illinois

Thanks for the input,I understand you don't have to have the fretboard extension fixed to the top I'm just concerned about creating a weak spot where the extension meets the body and I don't want the neck to be able to shift if theres nothing holding it to the top.
I looked at my 1688-8 which I don't think has ever had the neck off and the last few frets don't have anything under them but it is affixed to the top where the fretboard crosses the body from about the 14th fret to the 20th fret but not the full width of the neck,this is a 1994 model.

Posted 2018-08-27 2:47 PM (#545070 - in reply to #545040) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:December 2003Posts: 13869

Location: Upper Left USA

I just caught up with this thread, here's some thoughts.

Can you remove material from under the fretboard and make a floating neck? Maybe... I would add epoxy and and a strip of carbon fiber.

If a floating neck starts to buzz? I have stuffed felt strap washers, credit card shims and picks underneath as a quick fix. Eventually humidity and normalization will fix it, everything moves on occasion.

Posted 2018-08-27 2:53 PM (#545071 - in reply to #545040) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:December 2003Posts: 13869

Location: Upper Left USA

Extra thoughts:

I had a 1537 that showed the "12th fret hump" and had the frets filed down to nothing as the fix. I worked with a local Luthier to pull all frets, re contour the neck and refret (required cutting deeper fret slots on the end). He wasn't familiar with a floating fb and frowned a lot until he "got it".

Posted 2018-08-28 6:49 AM (#545077 - in reply to #545040) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:October 2005Posts: 3796

Location: Utah

Woody, any feedback on how the 1537 fretboard wood was to work with. My understanding is it is the same resin impregnated walnut as an Adamas. My frets are starting to show some wear, and I prefer slightly larger frets to the factory ones, but don't know if there's anything different to be aware of in terms of the wood.

Posted 2018-08-28 11:03 PM (#545085 - in reply to #545040) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:February 2014Posts: 408

Location: moline,illinois

I had my next lesson/class tonight we cleaned up the neck heel and body where the neck attaches,whoever did the previous neck work put some kind of rubber cement on the neck heel and some little shims that looked like they were cut from the same kind of material as the saddle shims you see on most ovations,once these were removed and the black gunk cleaned up the neck fit almost perfect.
To create the floating fretboard effect Matt suggested we put a small shim under the end of the extension(about the 23rd fret) to help compensate for the dropoff,the shim was spruce and about .050 thickness and lifted the fretboard extension just enough that it created the same string spacing as I have on the 1688-2 I brought as an example,we glued the shim to the bottom of the extension then used epoxy to attach the fretboard extension to the top and fill the gap created by creating the floating fretboard effect with the shim.
The action looks like its going to be excellent all the way up to the 24th fret,were letting the epoxy setup and will continue thursday checking the level of the frets and hopefully stringing it up.
Dan:Matt agreed the neck bolts will hold it in place securely the epoxy was just to fill the gap under the fretboard extension.
MWoody: carbon fiber would have been cool to use but I was working with what was at hand so spruce and epoxy was our choice tonight but if I ever do it again I'll have to check into getting carbon fiber strips.
Attached are pics of the disassembled neck and reassembled guitar,I meant to get one of the shim but got to involved it getting the neck back on tonight,

Posted 2018-09-12 5:32 AM (#545215 - in reply to #545040) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:May 2011Posts: 519

Location: Muenster/Germany

That´s another dream guitar. Even for someone who already has some of the kind.
I would consider changing the golden metal machine knobs to white or pearloid, would match the overall colours of the guitar better and makes it less head-heavy. And the machines would look better in satin chrome then gold. Btw the new Schaller M6 mini will fit exactly and habe a better ratio (1:18).
I changed the golden machines on my black 1885 to black Schallers with rosewood knobs and on my black 1687 to Schaller M6 ruthenium with ebony knobs. I work in the fashion business and I must say Ovation never had the sure instinct for colours.

Posted 2018-09-12 9:39 AM (#545218 - in reply to #545040) Subject: RE: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:May 2011Posts: 519

Location: Muenster/Germany

Here the Adamas with the black schallers

Before: typical golden type, and the axles were too long! Schaller makes different lenghts, the new ones will make a better string angle on the nut. (Remember that´s why many people prefer slothead guitars)

And after:

I think when I have a high-end guitar I may take a closer look at those things.

Posted 2018-09-19 10:07 AM (#545276 - in reply to #545040) Subject: Re: How do you create the floating fretboard effect when resetting an Adamas I neck?

Joined:May 2011Posts: 519

Location: Muenster/Germany

kentrookie: These are Thomastik "plectrum" strings and that is the standard wrapping of the wound strings for the .11-.50 set. I use these strings because of the very low tension and the low noise they make when you change chords and the balanced, mellow sound. You can see that even the G or the A octave string are flat roundwounds. Really the best on 12string guitars.